PRESENTATIONS

Presentations on the Shroud of Turin

The purpose of shroudresearch.net is to promote better understanding of the Shroud of Turin through research and communication. An important part of this effort is PowerPoint presentations on the Shroud of Turin to churches, clubs, or other organizations. If you would like to schedule a presentation on the Shroud to your group, or if you would be willing to help with finances, publicity, or in other ways, please contact Bob Rucker (509-375-4770, robertarucker@yahoo.com).

Duration of the presentations can be tailored to the time limits of the organization. Presentations are frequently 45 minutes, one hour, or 2.5 hours. If a full day Shroud conference is desired, it could be arranged as follows. Please contact Bob Rucker to schedule a presentation on the Shroud of Turin.

Agenda for a full day conference on the Shroud of Turin

Time

Session

Topic

8:00 to 8:45 am

Doors open to view the items on exhibit.

8:45 to 9:00 am

Short introduction to the conference and the Shroud.

This includes a short summary of each of the eight sessions.

9:00 to 9:30 am

1

What is on the Shroud.

We can see full size good resolution front and back images of a naked man that was crucified exactly as the Gospels say that Jesus was crucified. Also discussed are the size and nature of the Shroud, blood, pollen, limestone, missing corners, side piece, and sample location for the carbon dating.

9:35 to 10:25 am

2

History of the Shroud, including ancient art and coins.

There is a continuous history of the Shroud back to about 1356, but there is convincing evidence that it was in Constantinople prior to about 1200 AD, with copies of it in art and coins back to the 6th century.

10:30 to 11:20 am

3

The Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP).

In 1978, about 26 American scientists were permitted to do non-destructive tests on the Shroud for five days, 24 hours a day. The tests indicated the image is not caused by paint, dye, stain, any liquid, scorch, or photographic process.

11:25 to 12:10 pm

4

Why we can see the images on the Shroud.

To form the image on the Shroud, the mechanism that discolored the fibers had to be controlled by the information that defines the appearance of a naked crucified man. This information had to come from the body. We can see the image because this information has been encoded into the pattern of discolored fibers that forms the image.

12:10 to 12:30 pm

Lunch

12:30 to 1:00 pm

Q&A while people are finishing lunch.

1:00 to 1:40 pm

5

The carbon dating could have been misinterpreted.

Of the 14 date indicators for the Shroud, 13 are consistent with the first century, but inconsistent with the carbon dating. A simplified example is used to show how experimental measurements can be misleading, i.e. biased, by either a random or systematic bias.

1:45 to 2:25 pm

6

Evidence the carbon dating was misinterpreted.

To resolve inconsistencies in the 1988 carbon dating measurements, the 1989 statistical analysis assumed that the measurement uncertainties could be ignored! A proper statistical analysis indicates only a 1.4% chance that the measured values are consistent with the measurement uncertainties, so that a systematic bias very likely altered the measurements.

2:30 to 3:20 pm

7

Why the carbon dating was misinterpreted.

If the burst of radiation from the body that formed the image included neutrons, then absorption of these neutrons would have formed new carbon-14 in the fibers, which would have shifted the carbon date forward by up to thousands of years, depending on the location on the Shroud. This is the neutron absorption hypothesis and is the only hypothesis that is consistent with everything that we know about carbon dating as it relates to the Shroud. Experiments are being considered to test this hypothesis.

3:25 to 4:00 pm

8

What does the Shroud mean?

It is most reasonable to believe that the Shroud of Turin is the authentic burial cloth of Jesus, with the image on the Shroud formed in a unique event involving Jesus’ body as it was wrapped within the Shroud. This is consistent with the historical account of the disappearance of Jesus’ body from within his burial cloth in the tomb.